A decent performance followed by decent ratings, but one outlet had a different take on Lee.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Strasbourg 3-0 in the ninth round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, at 0:00 a.m. ET on Sunday.
The win moves PSG to 18 points (W5 D3 L1) and into second place behind Nice (19 points).
Lee Kang-in got the start for PSG. Fresh off a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Lee’s future looks brighter after being granted a military exemption.
He immediately joined Klinsmann in scoring two game-changing goals against Tunisia. He scored a fantastic free-kick goal when Tunisia’s strong defense was stalling the game.
It was Lee’s A-match debut. He followed it up with another goal to make it 2-0.
After Lee’s multi-goal performance, South Korea exploded and finished the game 4-0. 안전토토사이트
After proving his competitiveness, Lee also started against Vietnam.
Lee’s perfect ball control allowed him to outrun the Vietnamese defense.
He linked up with Lee Jae-sung and Son Heung-min to destroy the Vietnamese defense.
He assisted on Kim Min-jae’s first goal and continued to create chances with his sharp passes and crosses. With the score 4-0 in favor of South Korea, Lee scored the winner.
Hwang Hee-chan broke through and found Son Heung-min. He played the ball to Lee, who beat his defender and rattled the net with a calm left-footed shot. Lee roared with an uppercut.
It was his third A-Match goal and second in a row. Lee Kang-in’s goal was followed by a goal from Jung Woo-young to give South Korea a 6-0 victory.
Lee Kang-in showed that he is now an integral part of the national team.
He has come through the ranks at Real Mallorca, joined big club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and won his military exemption with a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Now, he has solidified his place in the national team.
He’s back at PSG. His PSG teammates congratulated him on his return from the gold medal. On Tuesday, PSG posted a training video on its official social media accounts.
In the video, the PSG teammates congratulate Lee on his gold medal victory with an Indian meal. PSG also shared a photo of Lee holding the gold medal.
“I want to play fast,” Lee said on PSG’s official channel, “and I’m very eager to come to such a big club this summer and compete with the other players and show my good form.
It’s another challenge for me.
Now I’m in good shape and ready to play. I want to play fast,” he said of his desire to start.
He has also recovered from his injury.
“My physical condition was not perfect before the Asian Games because I had an injury, but I definitely improved a lot after playing the Asian Games and the A-match, and it will get better.
Of course, I’m ready.
I don’t know if I’ll play or not, or how many minutes I’ll play, but if I do, I’ll try to be as helpful as possible.”
“The country has changed (from Spain to France), the teammates have changed, the coach has changed, the style of soccer has changed. A lot of things are different from last year. It’s still an adjustment period, and I want to do my best and become a player who can help the team.”
Finally, the PSG host asked about jersey sales. “Lee’s jersey sales are slightly ahead of Kylian Mbappe’s,” French RTLSport reporter Abdelrahim Bulma reported on April 20.
In response to the news, Sport Kida wrote: “Despite not scoring or assisting yet, Lee is showing that he is a commercial asset for PSG.
This is somewhat surprising considering Mbappe.
Mbappe is considered by many to be one of the biggest superstars in world football.”
It claimed it was a success for Asian marketing.
“Lee Kang-in’s strong jersey sales are likely due to his endorsement by the Asian soccer community.
Lee is considered the next big thing in Asian soccer and could follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Son Heung-min.
Nevertheless, I was surprised to see Lee beat Mbappe in jersey sales.”
In response to these reports, Lee said, “I am grateful that many fans were wearing PSG jerseys when I went to play the A-match.
I would like to do better in the future so that the team can have more fans,” he said.
Expectations were high.
On the 19th, France’s Foot Mercato wrote, “Lee Kang-in played his best game against the Taegeuk Warriors after being away from PSG for over a month.
This is a good sign for PSG,” and welcomed Lee’s return. “This is where he shone. He scored two goals against Tunisia. Against Vietnam, he had one goal and one assist.
His two brilliant performances can do a lot for a PSG team that is still unsure at the moment.”
“I left Paris for Hangzhou a month ago and arrived in Hangzhou after making unforgettable memories with the U-23 team (Asian Games team) and having another great time with my teammates in Seoul and Suwon, and now I’m back in Paris.
Thank you to all my friends, brothers, staff, and coaches for being with me for a month, and thank you to all the fans for their support and energy!” he wrote on his personal social media account on April 19.
Fans responded with messages of support in the comments.
Now that he’s back at PSG, Lee will have to fight for a starting spot.
Back at PSG. His PSG teammates congratulated him on his gold medal victory.
On Tuesday, PSG posted a training video on its official social media accounts.
In the video, the PSG teammates congratulate Lee on his gold medal victory with an Indian meal.
PSG also shared a photo of Lee holding the gold medal.
On the 18th, France’s LE 10 SPORT reported, “Lee Kang-in, who has become a South Korean star with his recent form, is returning to PSG.
Lee could be a problem for coach Enrique.
He will have to decide whether to include him in the starting lineup.
Lee has been impressive of late.
He won a gold medal at the Asian Games and performed well in the A-match. Enrique will have a tough time deciding whether to start him or not.
He could be PSG”s new offensive weapon. He’ll have to choose which of the following players to start: Neymar, Mbappe, Dembele, Hammers, Kolo Moani, and Asensio.
It remains to be seen whether we will use Lee as a starter or as a rotational resource.”
“Against Strasbourg, Lee will be given a chance in the midfield.
We have high hopes for him after his return. He is the player who has sold the most jerseys (especially in Asia).”
He was referring to Lee’s popularity alongside his ability.
Luis Enrique said in the pre-match press conference, “He’s already shown his level in his time with us. I’m very happy to have him with us,” Luis Enrique said in a pre-match press conference.
“His position in our system is more of a central midfielder.
But he can also play as a number nine or as a winger.
He knows what to do and how to do it.
He can score goals and make the final pass.”
Enrique has high hopes for Lee, too.
Le Parisien revealed his starting lineup ahead of the game.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Luka Hernandez, Milan Skriniar, Marquinhos (or Danilo Pereira), Ashraf Hakimi, Fabian Luis, Vitinha, Kylian Mbappe, Gonzalo Higuain, and Ousmane Dembele were all named alongside Lee.
France’s ‘RMC Sport’ reports that “Enrique will adjust his starting XI.
Manuel Ugarte and Marquinhos returned late.
Fitness issues must be taken into account.
Lee Kang-in could come in for Ugarte.
Warren Zaire-Emery hasn’t trained due to injury,” adding that Lee Kang-in is in the expected starting lineup.
As expected, Lee started. Enrique reverted to the 4-2-4 formation he used in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) against Newcastle United, with Lee starting on the right wing.
Enrique’s reactivation of the 4-2-4 formation was met with some skepticism.
After the shock defeat at Newcastle, UEFA wrote: “A night to forget for PSG. Enrique came out with an attacking lineup and it backfired.
An early goal from a Marquinhos mistake set the tone for Newcastle and PSG never recovered.
Lukaku’s late goal didn’t make the difference.
The shared goal made it a dream night for the Newcastle home side.
PSG have a really important game against AC Milan.”
Rio Ferdinand said: “PSG underestimated Newcastle.
On the big stage, you have to be tactically successful.
If you don’t, you get punished. Even more so in a stadium with this atmosphere.
The 4-2-4 formation made the midfield lighter,” pointing out Enrique’s tactics.
David Ginola, who has played for both PSG and Newcastle in the past, added: “Enrique needs a tactical change.
When Vitinha came on, he added creativity.
That’s what PSG were missing.” “PSG played nine kilometers less than Newcastle,” said former France international Sidney Goumbou. They didn’t deserve to win.”
Hammers told France’s Canal Plus: “We tried to play our game, but Newcastle were a very good team.
I’m very disappointed, but it’s not a nightmare.
We had our chances and we didn’t capitalize.
Today was Newcastle’s day. I think Newcastle showed more sharpness and won the game.”
Luka added: “This is UCL.
If you don’t have energy and impact, you get results like this.
We need to change a lot from the next game and start with more intensity. The 4-2-4 formation was Enrique’s choice.
We tried to put pressure on the defense.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.”
Warren Zaire-Emery added: “We made a lot of mistakes and Newcastle pressed well.
We need to look at our mistakes today and improve.”
We improved, but it was still frustrating.
There was a lack of variety in the attack, with no side-to-side transitions and a single flank.
Nevertheless, PSG came away with the win.PSG had an early chance.
In the eighth minute, a cross from the left flank by Bacca was met by Hammers, who tripped over a defender’s foot.
The referee immediately awarded a penalty kick (PK).
Mbappe stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball home to take the lead.
Strasbourg quickly equalized. In the 12th minute, Motiva rattled the net with a header from a corner.
However, the goal was disallowed after video assistant referee (VAR) checks showed an offside call in the buildup.
Lee Kang-in set up the goal.
In the 31st minute, Lee played a fantastic killer pass to Mbappe.
Mbappe immediately beat one defender on the flank before sending in a cross that Soler was able to finish with ease in the box.
Lee Kang-In sparked a scoring chance.
In the 35th minute, Lee was brought down inside the penalty box as he broke through. He recovered the ball and showed a Marseille turn, but was denied by the defense.
The first half ended with PSG leading 2-0.
Lee Kang-in continued to spark the attack. In the seventh minute of the second half, Lee won the ball in the right half-space and cut forward with a no-look pass.
Hammers shot on goal but was blocked by the defense. PSG pulled out their substitution cards.
In the 21st minute of the second half, Dembele and Kolo-Mbah a Moute came on for Bacca and Hammous.
Lee Kang-in was moved from the left to the right flank.
PSG drove a wedge into the game.
In the 32nd minute, Fabian collected a pass from Soler inside the penalty box and used a folding move to beat three defenders perfectly before finishing.
We brought on players who hadn’t been given a chance before, including Nordy Moukiele, Lavin Kurzawa, and Cher N’Dour, to help them adjust to the tactics.
The match ended in a 3-1 victory for PSG.
On the day, Lee had 73 touches, a 91% pass completion rate (53 attempts, 48 successful), 1 key pass, 1 long pass, 3 ground battles (9 attempts), 1 interception, and 2 tackles.
France’s 90min gave Lee a rating of 6.
Soccer statistics outlet Sofascore gave him a modest rating of 6.9. France’s L’Equipe also gave him a 6.
Le Parisien disagreed, giving Lee a 4.5 rating.
Although it was higher than Hamus (4), it was the second lowest rating among the starters.
Fans are questioning why Lee was given such a harsh rating.
